Chapter 5: Building Ground Up
The next morning, Jaden stood at the Westside lot, waiting.
The sun had barely risen, but the heat was already creeping in. The lot looked like a graveyard for broken dreams. Burnt walls, tangled wires, and rusted steel stretched out in every direction. But Jaden could already see something else—the building his system had shown him. He could almost picture it standing tall, windows glowing at night, people living inside instead of just surviving.
Then he heard footsteps behind him.
Carl arrived, dressed in a dark hoodie and cargo pants, carrying a heavy backpack. But he wasn’t alone.
With him came three others. A woman with short curly hair and oil-stained gloves. A tall man with a scar above his eyebrow and a toolbelt hanging around his waist. And a younger guy with thick glasses and a small drone hovering over his shoulder.
"This is my crew," Carl said, walking up to Jaden. "We’re Ground Circuit. You called, and we came."
Jaden gave a small nod. "Thanks."
The woman stepped forward and offered a hand. "Emma. I work with smart panels and cooling systems. Heard you’ve got a talent for turning scrap into miracles."
Jaden smiled slightly. "Something like that."
The tall man nodded. "Name’s Rick. Welding, structure work, heavy lifting."
The boy with the drone grinned. "I’m Luke. I tinker with code and AI systems. You’ll need me when it’s time to wire the brains of this thing."
Carl stepped in. "So, what are we building?"